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Bakal
Bakal was a warrior in the Senan clan of the White Face Barghast.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 12, US HC p.371 In Dust of Dreams Bakal was one of Onos Toolan's fiercest critics within the Senan war-party that travelled to investigate the destruction of the Snakehunter camp on the central plains of Lether.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 10, UK PB p.484-486Dust of Dreams, Chapter 12, UK PB p.578-579/589-592 After a challenge issued by Riggis was swiftly dealt with by Tool, Bakal and the other Senan warriors present accepted Tool as their Warleader. Shortly after, Bakal was bid by Tool to come to him and Tool then used Bakal's dagger to take his own life by forcing Bakal's hand, which was holding the dagger, dislocating Bakal's elbow in the process. This saved the nearly a hundred remaining Senan warriors from being killed by Warchief Maral Eb and his larger Barahn clan force, who were preparing to strike to capture Onos Toolan and were thus led to believe that the Senan had rid themselves of the 'usurper'.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 12, UK PB p.594-598 When asked by Strahl, Bakal made the decision that the Senan would not warn Maral Eb about the new threat facing the Barghast which Tool had mentioned, instead they would cut themselves loose and resettle in the Letherii Empire.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 12, UK HB p.411/412 Tool's suicide haunted Bakal, as he felt Tool's phantom blood upon his hands like poison.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 12, UK PB p.605-606Dust of Dreams, Chapter 15, UK PB p.729-730Dust of Dreams, Chapter 17, UK PB p.845-852 With Tool's death, Bakal became leader of the Senan but Maral Eb proclaimed himself overall Warleader of the White Face Barghast, despite many of clan Senan believing that the position was Bakal's right. On the night of Tool's death, "the night of blood", Maral Eb orchestrated an assassination attempt on Bakal, but Bakal stopped it with the help of Cafal.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 15, UK PB p.760-761 Bakal himself set out to kill his own wife and her lover, as he knew they would try to kill the lover's wife, Estaral. Estaral thereafter felt indebted to Bakal after he had thus saved her.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 15, UK PB p.756-757 After this night, Bakal survived several more attempts on his life. He made a plan to free Hetan, Onos Toolan's by then hobbled widow, collaborating with Cafal and Estaral. He asked Strahl, who had taken upon himself the role of Bakal's primary bodyguard, to stay with Strahl's own wife that night. Because of this, Bakal died fighting while trying to facilitate Hetan's escape.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 17, UK PB p.860-864 Before the final battle between the White Face Barghast and the Akrynnai armies, Strahl, who took over command of clan Senan upon Bakal's death, reiterated to his warriors the sentiments of Bakal and Onos Toolan by saying: : "Not this enemy! Not this war!" Dust of Dreams, Chapter 18, UK PB p.897 As had been the dead Bakal's intention, Strahl had the Senan withdraw - at the last minute - from the battlefield, leaving the remaining White Face Barghast clans under Maral Eb to fight the Akrynnai without the help of clan Senan.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 18, US HC p.573 Notes and references Category:Males Category:Barghast Category:Military Category:Warleaders